Groups dig deep for philanthropic marathon

It's not every day a nonprofit can double its money on donations or earn an extra thousand through luck of the draw.

By CARRIE SEIDMANcarrie.seidman@heraldtribune.com

It's not every day a nonprofit can double its money on donations or earn an extra thousand through luck of the draw.

So it's little wonder that local organizations are getting creative in their approach to earning a share of the $645,000 in bonuses and matching dollars available in the second year of The Giving Partner Challenge, a 36-hour online philanthropic marathon that begins at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The campaign set records last year compared with similar events in other cities. The challenge was initiated to kick off the launch of The Giving Partner, a website that provides a donation portal and complete information on area nonprofits. It raised $2.4 million, processed 10,705 donations, was the first to reach $1 million, in 18 minutes and 30 seconds; and had the most widespread donor pool: 50 states and 24 countries.

This year, it returns with nearly triple the participants, at 285, and more matching dollars and incentive money.

Susie Bowie, director of The Giving Partner, expects last year's records to be broken.

"We do think we will," Bowie says. "It's very exciting — and also a little stressful."

Because matching funds ran out within the first five minutes of last year's drive, Bowie says the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, which started and administers The Giving Partner, has encouraged participants to seek additional challenge matches from their own donors.

As a result, at least $500,000 in matching dollars from anonymous donors — $250,000 to the Sarasota Opera alone — had already been pledged a week before the kickoff.

In some cases, this is money an organization was not anticipating or in addition to regular annual gifts.

The Sarasota Ballet, for example, has earmarked challenge donations toward a live music fund, a specific area often overlooked by its supporters.

Moreover, profile pages on The Giving Partner and increased exposure and competition during the challenge can bring in new, often younger, donors.

While their contributions may be much smaller than the large gifts from wealthy elderly supporters, they represent a previously untapped, and potentially long-term, source of support.

Organizations have been getting the word out through email blasts, website and Facebook pages and personal phone calls. Some are offering free entertainment during the drive, like the mini-concerts in the Sarasota Opera House lobby or a flashmob collaboration between Fuzión Dance Artists and the NewGate Montessori school.

But for those looking for mass appeal, video is the name of the game and the grander or goofier, the better. A video that goes viral can offer an instant increase in visibility.

A superheroes theme

The Community Youth Development, which fosters leadership skills, took in $16,000 with a superheroes video last year.

This year the group "wanted to take super to the next level," says director Karen Bogues.

The result? A version of the popular Super Mario Bros. game featuring an original soundtrack, animation and 3-D graphics.

It was shot using a "green screen" technique that allows integration of real and animated figures, and features a character collecting the game's familiar coins, which in this case are aligned with "the positive attributes young people can get from the CYD program," Bogues says.

"I'm not saying raising money isn't important, but we are having so much fun with this," Bogues says. "To be able to showcase the creativity and fun of working with young people is a great bonus for us."

At Young Life Manatee County, a Christian mentorship program, this year's theme — "Unleash your inner generosity" — prompted Director David Johnson and his staff to produce some low-tech but high humor videos featuring a strangely clad character known as "Generous Man."

Three videos, released one week apart, feature the superhero — actually Johnson, in an outfit pulled together from Party City, Goodwill and a cape he stole from his 4-year-old son — responding ultra-magnanimously to casual requests.

A chance aside from someone finishing a bottle of water — "Gee, I wish I had some more water" — results in his being doused with a deluge, and a person wishing for correct change for a vending machine is pounded with a shower of coins.

A little cheesy

Nadine Slimak, communications director for Mote Marine, wrote an original script for a video featuring Mote's costumed mascots, Shelley the Sea Turtle and Gilly the Shark.

Staff members in costume spent a week shooting around town to illustrate the characters' search for an organization that would best help them protect the ocean and its inhabitants.

Needless to say, the search leads to Mote Marine, though they also consider the fictitious Hatch.com, SeaHarmony.com and FISHbook.com.

"It's a funny video that's a little cheesy and if it gets spread around the Web, I can't think of a better way to get our message out there," says Slimak, who also shot a "blooper" reel of mistakes. "It's been a grand experience and we just hope people get a kick out of it."

Instead of producing its own video, Sarasota in Defense of Animals (SDA) invites supporters to enter an "Is your pet ready for the small screen?" contest.

Anyone can submit a 30-second video of their pet, as well as vote for their favorite video.

The Daquiri Deck restaurants, owned by SDA Director Elise Matthes's son, Russell, and Troy Syprett, are offering a free daquiri or smoothie once a week for a year to the overall winner. They will also make a $25 donation to SDA for every video uploaded.

Using social media

Staff at the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County joined forces with the HuB to shoot video of more than a dozen arts and cultural organizations around town performing an Internet dance sensation known as "the Harlem Shake."

"Our whole goal is to use this crazy video to shine a light on our arts organizations and make people aware of how they can support them," says Jim Shirley, director of the alliance, who last year played a bumbling private eye and a pigtailed little girl for a Giving Challenge video. "Besides, if we hadn't done something like this, I would have had to do something stupid alone."

More than a dozen groups added their hip thrusts and arm waves to the collaboration, including the entire cast of the Asolo Repertory Theatre's "You Can't Take it With You," filmed in full costume on the theater set and led by octogenarian Asolo supporter Warren Coville.

"You can't take it with you," said a baseball-capped Coville. "I should know that better than anybody."

Shirley said social media is the best way for local organizations that have long relied on donations from Sarasota's retirement population to reach out to potential supporters from younger generations.

"Like it or not, that is our connection to younger audiences, who are terribly important to us," he said. "We're hoping this will help spread the word with that population."